Odisha govt to cull 20,000 birds in response to avian influenza outbreak

Odisha Govt To Cull 20,000 Birds In Response To Avian Influenza Outbreak

by Utkalika Mohanty

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

A bird flu outbreak has been confirmed in Pipli town of of Odisha's Puri district, with detection of the H5N1 avian influenza in several poultry farms, prompting authorities to take initiate containment measures.

Puri, Aug 27: A bird flu outbreak has been confirmed in Pipili town of of Odisha's Puri district, with detection of the H5N1 avian influenza in several poultry farms, prompting authorities to take initiate containment measures.

As part of containment measures, over 20,000 birds are set to be culled to prevent the spread of the virus to other regions.
The Animal Husbandry Department has initiated the culling process, which is expected to continue for several days.

Local officials are ensuring that all protocols are strictly followed during the operation. In addition to culling, extensive disinfection measures are being implemented in the affected areas to control the virus's spread.

Residents in Pipili have been advised to avoid contact with birds and to report any sick or dead poultry to authorities immediately.

To further prevent the virus from spreading, a temporary ban on the sale and transport of poultry products from the region has been imposed.

The situation is being closely monitored by health and veterinary authorities, with efforts focused on containing the outbreak and ensuring public safety.

Animal influenza viruses normally circulate in animals but can also infect humans. Infections in humans have primarily been acquired through direct contact with infected animals or through indirect contact with contaminated environments.

Dr Jaganath Nanda, Additional Director of Disease Control at the Directorate of Animal Husbandry, Odisha, said, "On August 17, we received a report from the Pipili area indicating that 1,800 birds had died under unusual circumstances. A team was immediately dispatched to the site to collect samples, which were then sent to Bhopal for testing. The results, received on August 23, confirmed the presence of bird flu. Consequently, culling operations commenced on August 24 in both the Pipili and Satyabadi blocks. The culling process is going on and we will pay Rs 20 and Rs 70 for as per their size."

The state's Health and Family Welfare Department, posted on X and informed that Dr Nilakantha Mishra, Director, Public Health Dept., has directed CDMO Puri to remain prepared for the protection of human health due to the ongoing outbreak of bird flu in the district.

"As two blocks of Puri district, Pipili & Satyabadi, are affected by the outbreak of BirdFlu, Dr Satya Panigrahi, State RRT & Sunita Jena, Epidemiologist, SSU, are directed to proceed to Puri to investigate and ensure the culling operation as per the guidelines," it posted.

(ANI)

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Assault Of Army Officer At Police Station In Bhubaneswar: Bharatpur IIC, 2 Cops Transferred

by Hemanta Pande

Bhubaneswar, Sep 18: Commissionerate Police transferred Bharatpur police station Inspector In Charge (IIC) and two other cops in connection with alleged assault of an army officer and 'molestation' of his woman friend at the police station in Bhubaneswar, officials said on Wednesday.

According to a notification issued by the Commissionerate Police, Bharatpur police station IIC Dinakrushna Mishra and Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Salilamayee Sahoo have been transferred and posted to the office of DCP, Bhubaneswar.

Similarly, Constable Balaram Hansda has been transferred and posted to RO Bhubaneswar.

The alleged incident took place at Bharatput police station early on Sunday morning when the army officer and his woman friend had come to lodge a complaint of road rage.

The army officer posted in West Bengal and his woman friend were allegedly assaulted by on-duty cops at Bharatpur police station when they requested to expedite the case. They also accused the police of attempting to cover up their wrongdoings by releasing a statement falsely accusing them of assaulting and misbehaving with their staff.

The army officer was allegedly kept in the lockup and his woman friend was taken to a secluded room by a female officer, where she was allegedly assaulted, stripped and molested. The army officer was detained for over 10 hours before being released following intervention by Army authorities, the complainant further alleged.

Following the incident, the Central Command, Indian Army, in a post on X said, "An incident of manhandling of an Army officer by police station, Bharatpur, #Orissa has been reported in the media. #IndianArmy takes a serious view of the incidence. Necessary action has been taken up with the state authorities."

Now, the Odisha police have handed over the case to Crime Branch for proper investigation into the case, a police officer said.

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Will Meet Fantastic Man PM Modi During His US Visit, Says Trump

by Hemanta Pande

New York, Sep 18: Former President Donald Trump has said he will meet “fantastic man” Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week when he visits the US.

"He happens to be coming to meet me next week, and Modi, he's fantastic. I mean, fantastic, man,” Trump said on Tuesday at a town hall meeting in Flint, Michigan.

PM Modi will be in the US from Saturday to Monday, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

The Ministry’s programme listed only PM Modi’s participation in the Quad Summit in Delaware on Saturday, his speech to the Indian diaspora on Long Island on Sunday, and his address to the United Nations Summit of the Future on Monday.

It did not mention meeting with Trump but said, “On the sidelines of the Summit, the Prime Minister would be holding bilateral meetings with several world leaders and discuss issues of mutual interest.”

Trump's campaign calendar shows him in North Carolina on Saturday and in Pennsylvania on Monday evening, with nothing pencilled in for Sunday.

The former president mentioned the meeting with PM Modi while talking about trade imbalances and how he would hike duties on imports from India through a Trump Reciprocal Tax Act.

He called India “a very big abuser” of the tariffs system because of the high duties it imposes on some imports from the US and said New Delhi “is very tough” in negotiations.

“If anybody charges us 10 cents, if they charge us $2, if they charge us 100 per cent 250, we charge them the same,” he said.

Listing India among them, he said that countries the US was trading with are “the sharpest people. They're not a little bit backward … they're at the top of their game, and they use it against us”.

He added, “China is the toughest of all, but we were taking care of China with the tariffs, so we're going to do a reciprocal trade.”

While in office Trump tangled with India over tariffs, putting a spotlight on the duties on Harley-Davidson motorcycles and whiskey.

He hiked duties on steel and aluminium imports and eliminated the Generalised Scheme of Preferences that provided for concessional tariffs for some Indian exports and New Delhi retaliated by raising duties mostly on agricultural exports like apples and almonds.

Even though they had differences on trade, PM Modi and Trump developed strong personal ties.

With elections about five weeks away and Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in almost a tie, PM Modi has a tightrope walk ahead -- not appearing to favour either party but also having to keep his lines of communication open to both.

Before the 2020 election that Trump lost, PM Modi appeared alongside him at a community event billed as “Howdy Modi”, in Houston in 2019 and, in a play of his own election slogan, cheered him, “Abki baar, Trump sarkar” (This time, Trump’s government”).